Sport and Movies - The Perfect SpEnt Combo

Yesterday I went to watch Chak De! India. Like everybody in India knows that there is Shahrukh Khan in it and that was one of the reasons I did not want to watch the movie. But the movie was on hockey. So, despite of my really warm feelings for Mr. SRK, I went and watched the movie.

To my surprise, the movie was really well made. And SRK has not shown any of his ridiculous histrionics in his earlier movies. This is indeed one of his finest performances.

After watching the movie I decided to come with 5 of the best and worst Sports based movies I have watched.

THE BEST
1. Rocky Series - Rocky Balboa is a small time Loan Shark working in Philadelphia. He is given a once in a lifetime shot at the World Heavyweight Championship by the current Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Apollo is the overwhelming favorite and Rocky the underdog. Punch after punch, block after block, Rocky matches with Apollo Creed. In the end, a split decision rules the bout in favor of Apollo Creed. But, Rocky is happy as he became the first boxer to 'go the distance' with Apollo Creed and could walk out of the ring with his head held high. This is the plot of the first movie. After that, the series shows Rocky in various stages of his career as a Boxer and also his relationship with his son and wife.
All the movies are good, with the exception of Rocky V.
Rating - 9/10.

2. Raging Bull - Jake LaMotta is seen practicing his stand up routine and then flashes back to his boxing career. His colorful and controversial career as a boxer is well shown. He becomes jealous of his wife and suspects her of adultery with his brother. He breaks all ties with his brother and retires from Boxing. He becomes a stand up comic and a night club owner. He is then arrested. He is released and he tries to mend his relationship with his brother.
This movie was really boring in parts. But if there ever was a movie that was carried on the shoulders by an actor, it was then. Robert De Niro carries this movie on his shoulders and his performance is brilliant. The fighting scenes are really well choreographed and certainly more realistic than in Rocky.
Rating - 8.5/10

3. Cindrella Man - Russell Crowe as James.J.Braddock is absolutely superb. This movie is about a man who fights his own inner demons, poverty thanks to the the great depression and then the opponent. He then gets a shot at the World Championship and his victory gives a lot of hope to the people of America, struggling with The Great Depression.
Very good acting and equally good narration.
Rating - 8.5/10

4. Lagaan - The year is 1893. Champaner. The Britishers ask for double tax and the only way to get them to remove it is by playing a cricket match. The basic plot of a movie which was nominated for the Oscars in the best movie in a foreign language. Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariler along with some brilliant music by A.R.Rehman make this one of the best films to come out of this part of the world. Good Ensemble acting, good cinematography and a really gripping cricket match make for compelling viewing.
Drawbacks - A really long film - 3hr 42min.
Rating - 8/10

5. Million Dollar Baby - Hilary Swank deservedly won the best actor female award. This movie was painful to watch at times, but Clint Eastwood deserves all the acclaim he got. He shows the pain and Morgan Freeman is absolutely superb. A very tragic ending of the movie.
Rating - 7.5/10


The movies that missed out in this list are Jo Jeetha Wohi Sikander (I have not seen the original of the movie, but heard that JJWS is even better than the original), Seabiscuit, Remember the Titans, Chariots of Fire, Iqbal, Hip Hip Hurray and many more.

THE WORST
1. Awwal Number - Dev Anand's attempt at cashing in on the popularity of Aamir Khan and cricket. We have a hero cricketer, Aamir Khan aptly called Sunny. And a villain cricketer Ronny. Sunny takes Ronny's place in the team and Ronny joins some terrorists, who want to blow up the ground. Dev Anand acts as the Commissioner of Police, out to stop the terrorists. And to add some dramatic angle Ronny is the adopted son of Dev Anand. Bad Acting, bad plot, bad direction
Rating - None...

2. Ed - This is Matt Le Blanc, known more famously for his role in the serial friends as Joey Tribbiani, attempt in movies. A Chimp is called to rescue the team because of its pitching abilities.
Rating - None...

3. Wimbledon - Wimbledon is one of my favorite sporting championships and was really anticipating this movie. But it really disappointed me. It is not all that bad, but this movie could have been about any other Tournament. The Wimbledon experience was not there at all. And Kirsten Dunst playing tennis was a joke. One can clearly make out that she is uncomfortable with the sport.
Rating - Not that bad, but really had nothing to do with Wimbledon. 4/10

4. Driven - This movie was about Racing. Sylvester Stallone plays an aged, retired driver who is called back to train rookie driver. The plot of the movie is completely lost and the characters are not really allowed to develop. One good scene - A street race with the racing car in the night. Nothing else.
Rating - Bad...

5. Baseketball - The South Park duo of Trey Parker and Matt Stone come with this movie. Its about an underdog game. The duo invent this game, start a league and become legends in the game. The problem with the movie - bad jokes, attempts at spoofs of sports movie fails and bad acting.
Rating - Bad...

Sports is great leveler. You maybe on top one day, but down another. Sports teach you team spirit, develop killer instinct, teaches to fight against the odds. And sports movies should try to show these aspects about sports..
Put in your lists too..

Manu visits MANU..

Imagine
- A beautiful glass building on the outside.
- Close to 76000 seats all painted in red.
- Sitting in the dressing room of the players
- Enjoying the comforts of the VIP room
- Almost getting onto the football pitch
- Sitting in the manager's chair

Well I just didn't imagine these things. I have experienced them.

I remember the first time I watched a football match with a lot of interest. It was way back in 1997 and ESPN had just come into India (thank god for that). It featured a team playing in red with Sharp Electronics being their shirt sponsor and being mesmerized by the way they played. It was then that I decided to follow the game and to support this club. I came to know that the club was called Manchester United aka ManU.

Ever since that time, I have desired to set my feet onto that ground. During the mid 90's, I was quite a slim, skinny chap who was into playing sports big time. I had attended coaching classes in cricket, tennis and played hockey and football at a decent level. I could run pretty quickly as well. And had made a good impression in Volleyball and Basketball at school. Now, do not ask me where that skinny boy went as I don't know myself.

The story is that, I had a dream of going to the Old Trafford stadium and enjoying there. And my dream was realized on the 29th of August 2007.
The first sight of the stadium leaves you in awe. The sheer magnitude and the opulence leaves you dumbstruck. The 'sea of red' inside is absolutely beautiful. The whole stadium tour and the museum visit cost me 10 pounds.(People knowing me, will know how I treat 10 pounds as [:)]). After the trip, I felt that it was a really wise investment.

They started the tour inside the stadium by making us sit in the Southern stand and I was shocked by the fact that the third tier in the stadium is as high as 160 feet. Thats almost 26times my height. And then, we proceeded to the away stand. FA rules state that the away club can get maximum of 3000 spectators. We then headed into the board directors rooms, the place that they occupy during the match. They certainly have the best seats and the most comfortable seats at that, in the house. We then headed into the players dressing room. The guide told us some strange superstitions players follow. Then into the playing area via the players tunnel. he then played a recorded piece of the crowd noise during the match and that certainly would get the players charged up. We then headed pitch side and had an opportunity to sit in the seats, Sir Alex Ferguson and the reserves sit in. We then headed into the Mega ManU store and did the only shopping, during the entire trip, there..

We then headed into the museum. It just showed me how much the club and its achievements are valued. The various trophies, big or small, that were won by the great team are displayed very proudly. A special section inside the museum has been assigned in memory of those who died in a terrible plane crash in the 1958 Munich disaster, that robbed United of 8 of its team.

After finishing the trip, I just did not feel like leaving the place. I had experienced a high that will be etched in my memory for ever. I felt like a pilgrim who completed his pilgrimage.

If people are wondering, why I have mentioned 'We' in my blog, it is because I was accompanied by Mr. Maurice aka Vagani aka Rahul.

The Pilgrimage was over and it was time to leave. And then I carried on with my journey..

PS - Other details of the trip, will be put in the next blog. Includes a special - Rahul gets drunk..

Some Pics
Row 1 - Left - The view outside my room. I could not believe what I had seen!! Right - Inside the stadium And the 'sea of red' behind me
Row 2 - Left - In between the great central defence. It was inside the players dressing room
Right - In the managers chair


Row 3 - Left - Being interviewed by sky sports
Right - I was on the holy turf


More Pics Later....